Reading rest



c. N. MQR'GAN July 2, 1929.

READING BEST Filed Dec. 15, 1924 2. Sheets-Sheet frwezz f9]:

m m W w h J "L July 2 1929. c. N. MORGAN 1 READING REST 2 Sheets-Shee 1 Filed 13120.15, 1924 I Jivdwwfaz: (fies/ezANWa/yar Patented July 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,719,190 PATENT- OFFICE.

CHESTER N. MOHGA'N, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.-

READING REST.

Application filed December 15, 1924. Serial No. 755,851.

This invention has to do with devices for holding books and the like for bed-ridden patients or chair occupants.

It if the general object of the invention to provide a simple, effective device that can i be easily adjusted to a bed or chair of any reasonablewidth or height and is capable of supporting a book at any desired angularity and any distance from the ITQEltlGITS eyes irrespective of what position said reader may occupy. The device is readily collapsed so as to occupy a minimum of space when not in use, and is preferably mounted on rollers or casters so as to be easily moved from place to place when collapsed and rolled into proper association with the bed or chair tive position. y

The rack portion of the device is so con structed that the book is positively held open at any particular page and is held to the rack so it may be swung to occupy a substantially horizontal plane (when the patient is fiat on his back) without danger of its becoming displaced or dropping.

Other objects and novel features of the invention will be made apparent as the following detailed description progresses. Reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of. my device in assembled and operative position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, contracted section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 .is a horizontal section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 4 is a detachedufront elevation of the book rack in expanded position, parts being broken away and shown in section to disclose underlying parts;

Fig. 5 is a detached rear elevation of the rack. l i

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section on line 7-7 of Fig. 5; i

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8 of Fig. .1, but showing a book in position on the rack.

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 5 butshowing the book rack collapsed; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective lllustrating the joint between the book rack and depending supporting arm.

First referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I provide an inverted U-frame 10 adapted to straddle or bridge a bed or chair. Uprights 11 of when spread to opera frame 10 are made up of telescopically arranged pipes or rods 12, 13 which are adapted to be held in adjustment by set screws 14 having handles of a size for comfortable manipulation. The uprights are forked at their lower extremities and the furcations or feet 15 thus formed are preferably provided with rollers 16.

Cross bar 17 of the U-frame is made up of telescopically arranged members 18 and 19 which are oincd to uprights 12 by elbows 20. By telescoping the cross bar, uprights 12 may be spread apart or drawn together according to the size of the readers bed or chair, and when drawn clear together for storage, the assembly occupies comparatively little space. Tubular member 19 is preferably fluted or hasinwardly depressed projections 21 extending longitudinally therealong. The sleeve 22, which is part of and extends transversely to the major axis of rack supporting arm 23,. is complementarily fluted so it may be slid along tube 22 but is held against rotation thereabout. Should it be desired to vary the angularity of arm 23 with respect to the bed, sleeve 22 is slipped off the free end of tube 19, rotated to the desired angular position and then slipped back on thetube, theflutings of sleeve and tube re-engaging to preventsubsequent undesirable rotation of the arm. Of course, it lies within the scope of my invention to substitute any suitable means for detachably keying or splining sleeve 22 and tube 19 to give the above described result. The adjustment just described is necessarily somewhat coarse, as there are only alimited number of fiutings and these may not register when arnr23 in the desired angular position. However, I provide means (to belater described) for tilting book rack R with respect to arm 23 to secure a finer adjustment of book angularity.

Arm 28 is preferably of telescopic nature so its effectivelength may be varied to suit any particular situation. For instance, it may be made up of nested tubes 24, 25 and rod 26, there being co-acting heads 27 and flanges 27 on the arm members for preventing separation thereof. Spring pressed latch 28 on tube 2 1 is adapted to engage selectively shoulders 29 and 30 of tube 25 androd 26,'respectively, slots 31 in tube 25 extending through the sleeve wall so the pointof the latch may engage shoulders 30 when they are in register with said slots.

It is obvious how latch 28110105 member 24, 25, and 2G in adjustment.

The lower end of rod 26 is provided with a laterally elf-set hook 32 adapted to support attachment member 33 pivotally. This member may conveniently, though not necessarily, be made up of spaced angles 34, the forward flanges 35 ofthe angles being joined by plate 36, and angle flanges 38 being oined by pivot pin 37 which is adapted'to rest in the hook notch. In order to hold member 33 in adjusted angularjposition with respect to rod 26, I provide aloek bar 39 pivoted to member 33 and having a series of notches 40 adapted to'be broughtinto selected register with headed pin 41 on rod'26.

Book rack R is made up of opposed channels 42, 43 (the groovesof the channel being face to face) joined lazy tong devices 44 and 45 whereby said channels may be moved towards and away from each other without disturbing their parallelism. The central crossbar 46 is pivoted to channel 43 at 47 and is adapted tolie in either of the two yokes 48'? when the rack is collapsed. hen

the rack is to be used,'tongs 44 and 45 are extended, bar 46 'isswu'ng tea vertical position, and the channels then brought together untilkeep'e'r strap 48 on channel 42 slips over the end of the bar to maintain it in vertical position; Bar 46 is provided with socket member 49, of any usual construction, adapted-to be slipped over attachment member 33 on red 26, shoulder '50 engaging 'the top of the, attachment member to prevent downward separative movement of bar 46 with respect to bar 26. VVith the rack thus :de tachably mounted on rod 26, it may be then depressed until its flanges embrace the upper edge ofthe book Yoke 48, of

course, slides over bar 46 during vertical movement of channel 42 with respect to channel 43, and hence/the connection between :said bar and channel 42 maybe termed a slip-joint connection.

This channel en- .gagement with the top and bottom of the (book is normally adequategto hold the book spread open at thed esired place and serves to retain the book in position on the rack eventhough the rackb'eswung into a substantially 'horizontalg iplane. However, to insure that the leaves of the book he flat I ;may provide spring clips or clasps 51 011 channels 42 and 43. Preferably, these clasps and a rack supporting are pivoted to the channels so they may be swung to the position of Fig. 4 when they are not needed for holding the book pages hat. The Clasps are shown in operative posi tion in Fig. 8.

It will be seen that the above mentioned slip-joint connection is a disengageable one and that the channel members are movable apart a sullicient distance to cause disengagement of said connection and thereby allow bar 46 to be swung pivotally into substantial parallelism with the channel members.

I also find it desirable in some instances to provide clasps or clips for engaging the binding of thebook where it is exposed by the spread leaves. For this purpose I may provide spring clips 52 pivoted to the channels at 53 and adapted to extend vertically in horizontal opposition to bar 46 or to be swung between the channel flanges when not in use or when it is desired to collapse the rack.

It is believed a full undcrstaiuling of the invention will be had from the foregoing, but it will be understood various changes in design, structure and arrangement lie within the'scope of my broader claims, and therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the illustrated and described embodiment of the invention except for such limitations as a fair interpretation of the appended claims may 1mport.

Having described a invention, I claim: 1. In an adjustable reading rack, an inverted "U-frame, a rack pendant supporting arm extending radially from and slidable along the cross bar oi the frame, means adapted to hold the arm in selected angular relation with respect to the bar, a boolcrack pivoted to' the arm for angular movement through a vertical plane, and releasable lock-- ing means for securing the rack in selected angular position with relation to the arm.

2. In a rack for adjm-itablc rests, a pair of opposed, elongated horizontal members movable to 'ards and away from each other. a pair 0t lazy tongs connecting said members near their ends, a bar extending from member to member between said lazy tongs, a

preferred form of my pivotal connection between the bar and one of the members, and a disengageable slipjoint connection between the bar and the other member, said members being movable away from each other to an extent allowing disengagement of said slip-joint connection whereby the bar is then pivotally movable towards said one member.

3. In an ad ustable reading rack, an inverted U-frame, the cross-bar of the trame being longitudinally telescopic and having a portion with longitudinally extending flutes.

arm including a sleeve adapted to slide longitudinally over the cross-bar and having internal flutes complelnentary to the flutes of the cross-bar, the inter-fitting of the flutes on bar and sleeve being adapted to hold said bar and sleeve against relative rotation, and the sleeve being slidable along and otl the end of the fluted portion of the bar, whereby the sleeve thereafter may be moved angularly with respect to the bar and thenjslid back to reengage the flutes of the bar and sleeve and thereby being held in its neW position of angular adjustment.

4-. In a rack for adjustable rests, a pair of opposed, elongated horizontal members movable towards and away from each other, a pair of lazy tongs connecting said members near their ends, a bar e tending from member to member between said lazy tongs, a pivotal connection between the bar and one oil said members, whereby said bar is movable pivotally from its position of such eX- tension into a position substantially paralleling said members, and a spring clip pivotally secured to one of the members and swingable "from a position substantially paralleling said members to a position substantially paralleling and in horizontal opposition to said bar When said bar extends from member to member.

5. In an article of the character described,

a supporting bar having a portion with lon gitudiiially extending flutes, and a rack supporting arin including a sleeve adapted to slide longitudinally over the cross-bar and having internal flutes complementary to the flutes of the cross-bar, the inter-fitting ot the flutes on bar and sleeve being adapted to hold said bar and sleeve. against relative rotation, and the sleeve being slidable along and oil the end of the fluted portion of the bar, whereby the sleeve thereafter may be moved angularly with respect to the bar and then slid. back to re-engagre the flutes of the bar and sleeve and thereby being held in its new position of angi'llar adjustment.

6. In a device oi the character described, a horizontal supporting bar, a' pendant rack supporting arm extending radially from; said bar, means zulaptml to hold the arm in selected angular relation it/ll respect to the bar, a book rack pivoted to the arm tor angular movement through a vertical plane, and releasable locking means for securing the rack in selected angular position With rela tion to the arm.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing" I have hereunto subscribed my name this 12th day of November, 1924.

CHESTER N. MORGAN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,719,190. Granted July 2, 1929, to

CHESTER N; MORGAN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, line 101, claim 1, strike out the Word "pendant" and insert same before "rack same line and Claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 6th day of August, A. D. 1929.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

